Safety switch and signal device.



A. SWARTZ 8; R. HOLLAND. SAFETY swmn AND SIGNAL DEVIOE.

APPLICATION nub M116, 1911. 1,012,028. Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

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A. SWARTZ 8: R. HOLLAND. SAFETY SWITCH AND SIGNAL DEVIGE. APPLIOATION FILED 11111.6, 1911.

1,012,028. Patented Dec. 19,1911.

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i railway switches and distant si UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

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Specification oi Letters intent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

Application flied March 6, 1911. Serial No. 612,579.

UnitedStatos, and residing in Huntington,

in the State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in S'afet'y STWitoh" andsighsl Devices, or which the foilewing "is a'speeifloation, reference being had-tothe aocompanying drawings, forming a part herlit.

The objectof this invention is to provide animpro'ved mechanism for the operatioriiof gnals, where- Iby; iii the opening movement; the switch points shall remain locked, in their closed osition until the distant signal is set at danger and whereby, in the closing movement, the distant signal shall remain at danger until the switch closed "and locked. 7

The invention will be more fully ex plained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated and in which e11 is'ageneral top view of the rails, switb and operatin meehanism, with the signal post inelevation. Figs. 2 and 3 are points have been respeetlvelya top 'viewand a view in side elevationof the ogerating mechanism, on a larger s'ealetliainfth'at 0' Fig.1. 5 and 6 are detailview's illustrating the o0- operetion of the aetuator end the gear segment hereinafter referred to. i

The main line rails a turn-out-rails, one 0 and the movable switehpoints eand were arranged in any of "which is SliQWn"a;t "i,

usual unsuitable manner, the two movable swi't'eli points 0 and e' beifigsliownfas being held in pro er remtiontoeach other by a bard fiom which connection ismadeb a rod 'd tdihe switchoperstin lever e; he latter isalso'mounted',jas usual, upon a 'vertieal shaft'or axis, as 'at' e, and has 'ii idly seeured thereto the rockerjaws f and so that the switch points are shifted in the usualmanner'bythe movement ofa roller 9 mounted a longitudinally movable slide bar which prefera'f 1y comprises upfier' and lower members "9' and-1 g*,'"between w ismo'un-ted in suitable guides'k k on t e bedlate It audits members 9' and g are r dedres eetivfly with looking ln s g looking bar and holds Figs. l,

b ment l. The lug ich the P0116? h pr e Theei-de bar 9 usual notched lieking' bar 1', shown in full lines in .1 a d'indett-e l'- (as in l i s. 2 and 3. hen the switch i elgsed, and the switch oints are in the position shown in Fig. 1, e locking lug g engages a notch inthe upper side of the locking haria nd holds the swlteh points in the closed ositio'n, and y when the switch is open, the looking h1g then engages a notch in the underside of the the switch points in the open position.

The invention isfieoncerned particularly with the means for operatin the slide bar g andfor operating the dlstant signal, all in such manner that the si nal must be thrown to danger before t e switch can be opened and must remain at danger untii theswitchhas been closed and looked, As shown in the drawings, there is secured to the slide bar g, ga rack bar]: which is engaged by a fear segment Z. The latter is mounted loose y one shaft m which is supported by suitable pillars m. Also-mount ed onthe shaft no so as td be movable iiide pendently of the gear segment, is a grooved disk or other actuator n, to which the switch the shaft m', ma'y be see ured by any suitable means, as by a' pin a; [In "order thatthere may be lost motlon between the disk or actuator and the slide bar, that is, between the signal operating devises and the switch operatmi devices, thereai'e provided on the side f te disk at two lugsn, a, preferablf'y about 140 apart, to coii eerate with and e feet the desired movement of the gear segn may co'eperate' directly with the adjacent side of thef-egedr segment, but the lug a is arranged to coeperate with a lug '2' which travels with thfef gear seg ment but is movable in a radial direction into and out of the path'ofi movement of the lug n. For this purpose the lu Z" isformed 0n assumed to an-0d Z whic ismovable radially in sliitablefg'uides rovided thereher on the gear segment Z. he rod and its lug Z are pressed; normaily outward, from the centerof the gear-segment by a suitable spring l andjthe rod is positioned between two of the teeth'ezt thegear"seg n ent I, so

that when such teeth are'in' engagement With the rack bar It the rod wiilbe ressed baelr ward, toward the center of" e fgear se ment, bygthe'intermediatetoeth o the me so opera'tingwlever o, mounted'on or secured to bar is, thereby carryin the slug 1 out of the path of the lug n on t e actuator n.

About the grooved disk n is passed a chain p, the ends of which are connected in the usual manner by wires p and 1?, having more or less slack, with the operating lever g of the usual distant signal armr on the pillar s.

In describing the operation of the improved mechanlsm it will be assumed that the switch is closed and all of the parts are in the proper corresponding positions. The lug n on the disk 1:. is then about 90 from the adjacent side of the gear segment Z. If now the operating lever 0 is moved from the position shown in Fig. 3 through an arc of about 180, to its lefthand position, the movement of the parts will be as follows: The disk n will first be rotated through about 90 without afiectin the gear segment l. Such movement 0 the dlsk, however, will permit the si nal r to move to the den er position, in w ich it will remain idl rlng the continued movement of the switch operating lever, as is usual in devices of this character. When the switch operating lever and disk have been moved through an arc of about 90, the lug n will come in contact with the adjacent side of the gear segment Z and during its continued movement will produce a corresponding movement of the fgear segment. Through the, enga ement ,o the gear .segment with the rack ar k, the slide bar g, y, will be moved from its extreme left hand position,-

, shown inthe several figures of the drawings to itsextreme right hand position. In the first part of the movement of the slide bar, thelocking In 9 will be withdrawn from the notch 111 t e locking bar 2', thereby unlockin the switohpoints so.that they will be shi ed during the continued movement by the coijperation ofathe roller 9, 'on the slide bar, with the rocker jaw f. The movement of the switch; points from closed to open position willbe completed before. the movement oi the slide bar is-completed,so

that the locking lu 'g on the slide bar, will enter the notch in t epnderside of -the lock ing'bar 5,,WhichzilQtCh is then in line with the lug,,alld lwill thereby lock the switch points In their open-position. When the movement of the operating lever is reversed, toclose the switch, the relative movements of the parts will be reversed, the signal -wi1'eshaving. the proper relative slack so:

that the signal armis set at safety afterv the switch is iclosed ln this reverse move ment of the ope iatingleverand,disk, the lug a on the disk;poiiperates,-in the begin. of themovemenathat is during the first 60 of. movement; or thereabont, with the .lug v,1 ,on, the: rod -.l?whieh is; carried by: are ,gear :segment. l, actuating the gear s ment to throw the slide bar from its rig t hand position to its left hand osition, in which movement the slide bar rst releases the lockin bar i, then shifts the switch points, an then again engages the lockin bar to lock the switch points in their close position. As the closing and locking of the switch points are com leted and the rack bar reaches its final position, a tooth of the rack bar cooperates with the end of the rod Z and moves the same against the pressure of the spring Z, thereby movin the lug Z out of the path of the lug n of he actuator, so that the actuator is permitted to continue its movement to set the signal from danger to safety, this being ellected during the movement of the lever from about 60 to about 90. During the remainin 90 of movement of the lever the slack of t e si nal wires is taken up. If it is desired to a apt the devices to the operation of a si nal with the stand on the opposite side of t e switch from that shown, all that is necessary is to shift the rod l to the guides indicated by dotted lines at Z on the gear segment and to make use of the lugs on the actuator indicated by dotted lines at n and n in place of the lugs in n and n.

It will be understood that the details of construction will be varied to 'suit different conditions of use and that the invention, therefore, is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement shown.

We claiinas our invention:

1. The combination with movable switch points and a distant signal, of an operating lever, an actuator o erated by the lever, connections whereby t e distant signal is oper ated by movement of the actuator during the first part of the movement of the lever, a slide bar and switch shifting devices operated thereby, a rack secured to the slide bar, a gear segment engagingthe rack andmeans w 'ereby the gear segment is moved by the actuator dur gthelatter part of such movement, where the distant si :11 is thrown view, th w th is mo d.

2. The combination with movable switch points and a distant signal, of an operating lever, a si a1 operating device carried ;;by the operating lever, connections flOmj.the signal operating device to the distant signal, a gear with the signal operating device, lugs on the signal operating device to cooperate with the gear segment, a rack bar on aged by the gear se cut, and switch shi ting devices operate by the movement of the rack bar.

3. ,The combination with movable switch points and a distant si 31, of anopera-ting lever, an. actuator carr ed thereby and pro-l vided with segment operating lugs, connections whereby. the distant signal 15 operated;

by movement of the actuator, a gear segent mounted on the same axis 'nal operating device to the distant si shiftin devices actuated by movement of the raci bar, and switchlocklng devices controlled by movement of the rack bar.

4. The combination with movable switch oints and a distant signal, of an operating ever, an actuator carried thereby and provided with segment operating lugs, connections whereby the distant signal 1s operated by movement of the actuator, a gear segment mounted co-axially with the actuator, a rack bar engaged by the segment, switch shiftin devices actuated by movement of the mo bar, a notched locking bar connected to the switch oints, and locking lugs carried b the rac bar and adapted to engage the coking bar in difi'erent positions at the ends of the movement of the rack bar.-

5. The combination with movable switch points and a distant signal, of an operating ever, a signal operating device carried by the operating lever, connection from the siga a gear segment mounted on the same axis with the signal operating device, a lug mounted movably on the gear segment, means to move the lug, lugs on the signal operating device to cooperate with the gear segment and with the movable lug thereon, a rack bar engaged by the gear segment and switch operatm devices operated by movement of the rack ar.

6. The combination with movable switch points and a distant signal, of an operating ever, a signal operating device earned by the operating lever, connection from the signal operating device to the distant si nal, a gear segment mo nted on the same axis with the signal operat ng device, a lug carrying, spring-pressed rod mounted for radial movement on the gear segment and projecting between teeth of the gear segment, lugs on the signal operating device to 006 erate with the gear segment and with the fug on the movable rod respectively, a rack bar engaged by the ear segment and having one of its teeth adapted to move the said rod against the pressure of the s ring and switch shifting devices operated y movement of the rack bar.

This specification signed and witnessed this 28th day of February A. D., 1911.

ALBERT SWARTZ. RICHARD HOLLAND.

Signed in the presence of E. E. YAHNE, E. E. HILDEBRAND.

Copies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

